Heavy Soul (24bt) [Original recording remastered, Import]

Ike Quebec | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 15, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Import
• Label: Toshiba EMI Japan
• ASIN: B000AA7FBC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,279,615 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most welcome reissue!, April 7, 2005

By 

Dr.D.Treharne (Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heavy Soul (Audio CD)

This album is proof that Quebec was about to move back to successfully resume a career that had previously been badly affected by his narcotic intake. He'd already appeared on sessions by Jimmy Smith. Duke Pearson & Sonny Clarke in the early 60's and "Heavy Soul" was the first of four albums under his own name, that he was to produce for Blue Note before his untimely death in early 1963.Quebec's tone and breathing make his playing very distinctive and it's heard to great effect on this album where the group also allow him space to express himself. Listeners looking for a place to start might listen to the reading of "Nature Boy" where he's accompanied only by Milt Hinton on bass. Of the up tempo tracks 'Acquitted' and the bonus track 'Blues for Ike' are a great showcase for the ensemble, with Roach in particular knowing when to sit back, and when to insinuate himself into the mix.Of the slower track the two outstanding ones for me are 'The Man I love' and "Just one more chance" both of which also show the understanding between Hinton and Quebec, both of whom had served time with the Cab Calloway Band.Al Harewood who plays drums throughout can be propelling when needed, but he also sits in well on the slower numbers. As ever it's to be hoped that, having re-released "Soul Samba" that Blue Note would get around to re-releasing "It might as well be spring' with the same personel and perhaps some more out-takes from the sessions. However, as with all Blue Note reissues the advice remains the same, "Buy it now before they delete it!"

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truly "Heavy Soul", February 20, 2005

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heavy Soul (Audio CD)

The recent batch of Blue Note RVG releases will make many a jazz fan salivate as several extremely hard to find, previously out-of-print CDs are being made readily available once more. This particular title was not one of the rarest, as its first CD incarnation in the Connoisseur Series was issued in the late 90s, but it is delightful to have back nonetheless. Ike Quebec's "Heavy Soul" lives up to its title. But this album is not heavy on up-tempo soul jazz, instead it's heavy on soulful ballads. There are some faster numbers, the Quebec penned "Acquited" and "Que's Dilemma," but it is the slower, sultry standards that set this disc's romantic tone. While I'm generally not a jazz organ fan (unless it's Larry Young or Jimmy Smith), Freddie Roach's playing is refreshingly light, and is spacious enough to allow bassist Milt Hinton room to make his own contributions. (If you look carefully most jazz albums with organ don't use bassists because the sound would get too muddy at the low-end.) While "Heavy Soul" is a rung below "Blue And Sentimental," fans of Ike and organ jazz will love this re-release.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ike Quebec great tenor player, August 17, 2006

By 

Jazzcat "stef" (Genoa, Italy Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heavy Soul (Audio CD)

Sometimes it happens to me to think about what kind of gems common people is missing without even knowing. Or better without being able to appreciate them because they don't have the tools, the informations to understand. Listening to this album from Ike Quebec, recorded in 1961, I find myself thinking .."what an era of mediocrity for the arts is the one we're living". People is completly unaware of the magic things has been done in the past. Done in years a lot more important than the ones we're living for the arts, so they take for good, stuff that simply has no value at all. So they piss away their money buying stuff of no artistic significance ... and think that with the same money (or even less) they could buy something of sheer beauty like "Heavy Soul" from Ike Quebec. Or even worst, they Judge this music we love, Jazz, as old, dated, untrendy .. when its beauty is simply ETERNAL. This album from Ike is one of the famous four Blue Notes of his comeback of the sixties. It is an organ album with his tenor as the main voice. Ike was really great we have to say this. He is even underrated among Jazz fans. He was one of the best for ballads and a solid blues infected musician for more fast tunes. The most evident thing is the beauty of his tone with the tenor which is amazing, really superb. His phrasing is eloquent, not simple and not complicated. Just right. The line up is Ike, Freddie Roach at the organ, Milt Hinton double bass, Al Harewood drums. I have to correct the previous reviewer who said that generally they didn't use a bass palyer with the organ because they didn't want an abundance of bass frequencies. It's nothing like that. It is simply because organ players do play bass parts with their feet! So they are bass players themselves! Why having another? Here Roach obviously didn't play the bass pedals and left to Milt Hinton the bassist role. This is the reason. When there's an organist a lot of times there are not abass player because the organ has a pedalboard for the bass lines and the organist do them with the feet. This album is exceptional. And when ballads time comes (there are some here) Ike simply "clean the scene". Musthave.